The Pokemon Global Link has announced the rules for the next two seasons of the Battle Spot's Special Battle option. Season 5 is reminiscent of the rules that were in existence in the time of Pokemon Red and Green: You may use all six Pokemon in your party, but you may not bring any held items. One can expect to see the use of Acrobatics all over the place.

However, Season 6 will bring quite an exciting change in the meta-game: the 12 Pokemon most heavily used in the previous seasons will be prohibited, forcing competitive players to rethink their team builds and strategies. This means that Talonflame, Kangaskhan, Garchomp, and several other powerhouses will be benched for the duration of the format, allowing some previously unusable Pokemon to make their presence known. Players rejoice, for your favorite Pokémon might just make it through battle this time.

Alongside these, several upcoming Battle Competitions have been announced, each with its own unique set of rules. From June 6 to 8 is the Think Fast Competition: Single Battle. This competition allows any Pokémon in the National Pokedex, excepting the typical Legendary Pokemon. You will also have reduced times for the battle: A total battle time of 10 minutes, Pokemon selection time of 30 seconds, and move selection time of 15 seconds. Second is the International Challenge June, which runs normal VGC rules. Third is the Eevee Friendly, a Rotation Battle competition which only allows entry with Eevee and its various evolutions. Following that is the All-Star Battle; any and every Pokemon aside from Diancie can be used, even those obtained using Poke Transporter, but you will be limited to no more than two Legendary/Mythical Pokemon in your party. Afterward, speed will return in the Think Fast: Double Battle, where you only bring three out of your six Pokemon, and you do not have the luxury of a team preview. Next is the Fairy Friendly, which only allows Fairy-type critters. The last competition announced is the Halloween Party; in this tournament, you may only use Ghost-type Pokemon, and must include a Gourgeist in your party.

With so many unusual battle formats ahead of us this year, you'll need to hone your skills to prove your Pokemon prowess. You also might want to bust out that Mismagius who's been sitting in your PC since Pokemon Pearl.

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Zeke Mathers is a relatively new player to the Pokémon meta-game and still has quite a lot to learn about being a competitive battler. He aims to make a name for himself for his creative Pokémon teams, and wants to show the world of Trainers that you don't have to have the same six overused Pokémon to win a match. If you have ideas that you want to pick up steam or just want to test Zeke's skills, contact him at upncominggeek@gmail.com.